Plushy's interview:
http://evgeni-plushenko.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6&p=87319#p87319
Evgeni Plushenko: I have not seen long ago such a mess in the men's figure skating:
http://www.sovsport.ru/gazeta/article-item/791571
...
Quite recently Russia was shooked with his statement: "Can you imagine, until 2018 a lot of guys went, but Plushenko still perform."
We met immediately after his return from Shanghai in the "Gostiny Dvor", where the legendary skater traditionally went to the podium with his wife Yana Rudkovskaya and son Sasha on the fashion show of a new "Odri" collection.
And Zhenya again confirmed, that about 2018, he was not joking.
- Zhenya, in the winter you said that you still not missing official competitions. Maybe at the Worlds, where you again felt this atmosphere, something stirred in your soul?
- Well, how i can say that I miss the ice, if I every day almost never leaving the ice. I train, I participate in the show, but regarding the competition - no, perhaps that time has not yet come. Now, to be honest: I looked Worlds...
- Sadly?
- Why sadly? My wife Yana said in an interview for your newspaper a lot of her emotions, but I will say nothing. I will not anyone praise or criticize, I will take a neutral side.
- That is, the seventh place of leader of the Russian national team - it's okay, you think so? When you competed, you do not think so, is not it?
- It should to decide skating federation, if they are, or not satisfied with that. Fans... And, above all, the coach and the athlete alone. The only thing I was glad, of course, for Sergey Voronov in the short program. I was sure that he could get into the medals, to be third. It would be great for him, a huge victory, unfortunately, did not happen. I also cheered for my friends Yuko and Sasha (Kavaguti and Smirnov). But sport is a heavy story.
I'm truly happy for Liza Tuktamysheva and my coach, Alexei Mishin. I'm always, in general - for complex elements. Axel with 3.5 turns in the short program! Liza performed it brilliantly, and she and Alexey Nikolayevich are great guys, because they risked. On the other hand: what they could to lose? On the contrary, it is necessary to go ahead, to conquer, to take, to chew this medal, and all turned out good for them. So, I'm very happy....
- So, thanks to Tuktamysheva, her triple Axel and the tension which she's created, became more interesting to watch the women's skating, than men - that's the paradox.
- No, to me and the men was interesting to watch. But to the women, I have now just a special kind of attitude, because my coach Mishin is there - he's my second father. And Liza, of course, it's a girl from our team.
- But how you perceive, what is going on in your "grounds"? No one clean skating, came to this, that Olympic gold medal was won with two falls, at the world championships it has become common place. Falls spoil all the impression, they are able to kill the most brilliant program.
- I have not seen long ago such a mess, especially, in so great athletes. Yes, I was very surprised that almost no one athlete skated cleanly. This's sensation, here it is - a sensation. About the places, occupied by our skaters - it's the norm. There is no such a paradox. But, the fact, that the falls spoil the impression - i'm agree 100%. But there is the judges. I'm skater, what can I do, why I should discussing about this? There is ISU, there is ISU the president. He must understand what is happening. There is Federations, committees... They should thinking, whether is men skating on the right path.
- Do not you thought, that men skating kills inadequate complexity, this pursuit for three quads...
- Such complexity? The same people doing quadruples, just there is occur blots on the eaiser elements, and among other things, they do not skate fast enough. But two quads was done a long time ago. Three quadruples jumped even Timothy Gable - also long ago. There is nothing incredible. Three quads, two quads... This is the norm. The complexity lies in the other. Figure skating has become complicated due the spins, steps, this is true. But because of that, there is necessary to train! Apparently, somewhere they do not enough work, but somewhere, on the contrary, do something extra (too much work).
- Does Yana Rudkovskaya have the right, when she said that you are quite capable, and can win with "the Vancouver's set of"?
- Well, it is Yana' the opinion. Can I? I can many things to do. Or maybe I can not. I want to leave a big question. Ellipsis. More precisely, a few questions: "Can? I can not?". Life will show. Why do I now to run somewhere, to hurry. I already said repeatedly, and I repeat: there is a desire to continue. Need a little time out. Need a break. To heal to the end all my injuries. Recover. Live a little bit different life, to live in a family, with children... I train every day.
- Your 18 triple axels of 18 in training, already become the talk, a legend...
- This is training. There are also video from Gala exibitions, where I jump and quadruple in nearly the dark, just like in the early years, and Axels...
Now I am preparing new programs, I will travel to the sports "Oscar" - flying to Turkey to play golf on the five-day tournament. Yes, I am enjoying, enjoying in my new life, in which there is not only figure skating. Releasing a clothing line "Odri" - basically, this is Yana's ideas, I something tells, but almost do not interfere - she understands these things much better than me. Although, in the future, I want to fully develop my direction in sportswear. Tracksuits, sneakers - yes, I am interested to create something comfortable, and unlike the other designers. But it will be then. But for now - returning to your question - I have the desire to return to skating, and this is a very serious desire.
- And in 2018, many will finish, but Plushenko will still skate?
- You think that I was joking? I do not rule out, that by 2018, many of the current skaters will leave. And I can still skate.
- Can you still something new to do in figure skating? You will agree that it can become only a real challenge for you, because one more medal ...
- Definitely! Definitely something new i need to do! Some new quad... Only thereby I can fight - with a new quad, maybe with some new cascade, which may once I have already present. With the new solutions in the images. Naturally! Otherwise, carry on career is meaningless. Of course, something needs to be changed. There is ideas, how and what can be done. First: there is a desire. Second: now is already health. I just have until end to rest - to see, to taste.
- The next season you will still do not come back?
- I do not want, and i'm not ready to talk about it. In May I had planned the show "Snow King", we plan to show it in Japan, China, Australia also very much wants to see us. We have established a European record. On my show «Kings on ice» in Poland, came 22,000 spectators. More gathered only in Japan, on free program in Saitama at World Championships, a year ago. So, for now i will more skate in the shows, completed some other things, and then - I do not rule out, that I will not return.
- In which image, Zhenya? Alexei Mishin not accidentally calls you "Shakespeare" of figure skating. You have already expressed on the ice, it would seems, everything.
- The images has already been so much: and "Swan Lake", and "Bolero", and "Sex bomb", and "Asisyai", and with a scarecrow i skated - what else there was not. During my career, a lot has been done. In this regard, for me is complicated - what else can I do, to not repeat? But now I've found some good music, working with Nikita Mikhailov. I really like him, as a specialist - young, with some fresh, original solutions. And one of the programs will be Spanish.
- Now, when is allowed music with words, in front of you are new opportunities. Have you ever wanted to skate under Vysotsky?
- Under Vysotsky? Yes... I want to. Really want to skate under Vysotsky.
I will answer you Whitebamboo
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) Her comments about the Russian guys are actually fair. And to turn things around--if we got Plushy to comment on fashion, would he do a very good job?
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